Operation Highworth 3

18-20 July 2025: 36H Combat Mission, Catterick OBUA

Location: Al Arbaeen, Tikrit District, Saladin, Iraq – 2008

There are two sides to every coin…

“Zero Alpha…[unreadable]…Objective Slim Fast…recovered”

“We will not be deterred by this loss, brothers… we will drive the infidel from this place.”

“Zero Alpha…Jackpot, [static] jackpot! Old Ham [unreadable] eliminated!”

“This was only the beginning, no matter what we will continue our jihad against the infidel, we will prepare you all for the privilege. We will defeat them..”

During Operation Highworth 2, Task Force Knight was able to not only recover Trooper Samuel Frank, who had been held captive for over 2 months, but also successfully dismantled the al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) IED network operating in Arab Jabour. Several AQI explosives experts were eliminated, and a cache of IED components was seized over a 36-hour operation.

Working alongside Iraqi Special Forces, Task Force Knight leveraged both human intelligence and local interpreters, whose contributions have become invaluable. In the broader context of the Global War on Terror, the JSOCTF mission in Iraq would be severely limited without their insights and connections.

While ground forces attributed the success of Highworth 2 to an enemy on the verge of collapse, the reality is far more complex.

Insurgent cells across Iraq continue to recruit aggressively, training unprecedented numbers of bomb-makers with limited resources. Following their setback in Arab Jabour, AQI has shifted its operations north to Tikrit and Anbar Province.

With the Sunni insurgency in Baghdad waning, the demand for direct special operations in the capital has declined. Task Force Knight will now redeploy to Tikrit within the next 24 hours to confront AQI’s reestablished presence.

Their new objective: extract a group of interpreters who have become isolated and are now fearing retaliation from insurgents flooding the area. Meanwhile, a British Red Cross convoy enroute to Baghdad is ambushed on Route 1, just outside Al Arbaeen.

TF KNIGHT

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Catterick OBUA – Directions

Lat, Long / Postcode:
54.359700, -1.717140 / DL9 3RH

Arrivals:
1800H-2100H 18 JULY

Price

£130 TOTAL
– Online booking of £45 deposit (plus fees)
– Remainder to be paid on arrival